Although the work is fictitious, it obeys the laws of logic. Thus, it is quite natural that the ceremonies that the medicine men apply to heal those who suffer from especially difficult diseases are elaborate and above average as well. Miner actually labels them “harsh,” highlighting how “phenomenal” it is that a considerable percentage of the patients who undergo the procedures survive and even recover. According to him, small Nacirema children may refuse to go to the latipso due to the fear of not enduring the ceremonies, while the adults, contrariwise, are rather enthusiastic.
The rituals are torturous, actually; even for a healthy but not prepared neophyte, they would not necessarily be bearable. Awakening the patients at dawn, rolling them on hard beds in the process of ablutions, and jabbing needles into their bodies – actions of these kinds are believed to have a healing effect. In such a context, the procedure the so-called listeners perform looks especially outstanding, as it does not even presuppose any physical interaction.
Those practitioners encourage the patients to share their memories, negative thoughts, fears, and others, beginning with the earliest. The Nacirema consider this an essential component of purification; in fact, this is the only of their rituals that can alleviate pain, which makes it especially remarkable. Notably, releasing people from their troubles adds to their mental well-being, which, in turn, may simplify recovery as the patient stops focusing on his or her misery.